Pralines. — Blanch and bake a full ^lb of almonds to a
rich brown (be careful not to let them burn i, and pound
them with loz. of candied orange flowers, moistening this
with the whites of two eggs✪ Pralines, beating it well together and
working in gradually l()oz. of caster sugar. Lay this in
oval cakes on wafer paper, and bake in a moderate oven till
fairly crisp. Garnish if liked with crystallized orange
flowers.
Petits Fonts. — This is the generic name for all kinds of
small cakes, usually much decorated with icings, crystal-
lised fruits, bonbons, &c., and nowadays in much request as
much for their appearance as for their flavour. A very
easy form of these is produced by slicing down more or less
thinly any kind of nice cake, such as Madeira, sponge,
orange, chocolate, &c. These slices, if thick, are then
stamped out in diamonds or rounds, covered smoothly with
any delicate glace to taste, a bonbon, crystallised fruit, or
flower, or even a cube of bright-coloured jelly being placed
on each as a garnish. If sliced thinly, half the slices are
spread with sieved jam, jam and cream, clotted or whipped
cream, nut filling (royal icing into which you mix as many
blanched and chopped nuts of any kind as it will take up),
almond paste (2£lb. freshly ground almonds and 3|lb. of
cane icing sugar worked to a stiff dry paste with the whites
(unbeaten) of seven or eight eggs, a teaspoonful of essence
of vanilla, and a sherry-glassful of brandy, rum, or liqueur
as you please', or heat a small pot of apricot or other good
jam with one or two spoonfuls of rum, brandjq liqueur, or
any flavouring to taste, and when warm and thick spread it
generously on the cake. Cover these slices with the rest of
the cake, sandwich fashion, pressing them lightly together,
then when firm trim to any shape desired, and ice with
BISCUITS AND SMALL CAKES.
143:
liqueur or other flavoured glace to taste. Very pretty little-
sandwich cakes can be made thus of diamonds of chocolate
cake. Spread half with apricot jam, heated as above and
mixed with a little rum or brandy, cover with the rest, and
then ice with liqueur icing, on which, when set, you place a
tiny spray of mistletoe made with angelica leaves and the
tiny transparent berries sold for the purpose. Orange cake,
spread with sieved marmalade and cream, iced with orange
glace, and garnished with a quarter of an orange previously
dipped in boiling sugar, is also very pretty. Such cakes
are easily made by any deft-handed person with a little
goodwill, and add enormously to the beauty of a table, as
they can be coloured to suit any style of decoration chosen.
These hints are easily varied indefinitely, but the following
individual recipes will give an idea of the immense variety
known to French confectioners.
Page 91 · 2 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1902. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Pralines. — Blanch and bake a full ^lb of almonds to a rich brown (be careful not to let them burn i, and pound them with loz. of candied orange flowers, moistening this with the whites of two eggs, beating it well together and working in gradually l()oz. of caster sugar. Lay this in oval cakes on wafer paper, and bake in a moderate oven till fairly crisp. Garnish if liked with crystallized orange flowers.
Petits Fonts. — This is the generic name for all kinds of small cakes, usually much decorated with icings, crystallised fruits, bonbons, &c., and nowadays in much request as much for their appearance as for their flavour. A very easy form of these is produced by slicing down more or less thinly any kind of nice cake, such as Madeira, sponge, orange, chocolate, &c. These slices, if thick, are then stamped out in diamonds or rounds, covered smoothly with any delicate glace to taste, a bonbon, crystallised fruit, or flower, or even a cube of bright-coloured jelly being placed on each as a garnish. If sliced thinly, half the slices are spread with sieved jam, jam and cream, clotted or whipped cream, nut filling (royal icing into which you mix as many blanched and chopped nuts of any kind as it will take up), almond paste (2£lb. freshly ground almonds and 3|lb. of cane icing sugar worked to a stiff dry paste with the whites (unbeaten) of seven or eight eggs, a teaspoonful of essence of vanilla, and a sherry-glassful of brandy, rum, or liqueur as you please', or heat a small pot of apricot or other good jam with one or two spoonfuls of rum, brandy liqueur, or any flavouring to taste, and when warm and thick spread it generously on the cake. Cover these slices with the rest of the cake, sandwich fashion, pressing them lightly together, then when firm trim to any shape desired, and ice with
143:
liqueur or other flavoured glace to taste. Very pretty littlesandwich cakes can be made thus of diamonds of chocolate cake. Spread half with apricot jam, heated as above and mixed with a little rum or brandy, cover with the rest, and then ice with liqueur icing, on which, when set, you place a tiny spray of mistletoe made with angelica leaves and the tiny transparent berries sold for the purpose. Orange cake, spread with sieved marmalade and cream, iced with orange glace, and garnished with a quarter of an orange previously dipped in boiling sugar, is also very pretty. Such cakes are easily made by any deft-handed person with a little goodwill, and add enormously to the beauty of a table, as they can be coloured to suit any style of decoration chosen. These hints are easily varied indefinitely, but the following individual recipes will give an idea of the immense variety known to French confectioners.
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